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It's interesting meeting with nearly 10 different Christian workers in the country because you feel like you get a complete view of the state of Christianity in the country, and you hear the things that are encouraging and the things that are hard across the board. We were in a country over the past three days that has only a handful of believers, and many of the believers have been cast out by their families (which sure puts new light on the language Jesus uses about his turning brother and brother and father against son). It is hard on the workers to see progress coming so slowly as they toil year after year. At the same time, however, they cling to stories of the ones who have come to faith--one man in particular who is now being discipled and leading two house fellowships.
We saw extreme poverty and have to wrestle through how to respond to that and we heard stories of nationals stealing money from Christian workers. And yet, person after person said that God had given them a love for the people, and there were examples of nationals who were honorable and hardworking. We sensed a loneliness from some of the long-term workers, and yet there were times when I felt myself longing for some of the community that they had with the other workers, kind of a "with me in the foxhole" mindset. There's simply a paradox that comes from being overseas in places where the Gospel is hardly known--the darkness seems darker than ever and yet the light is brighter than ever, and overcomes the darkness.
Thanks for your prayers for us. Pray for some of the people we're visiting; several have requested it as their greatest need.
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